The Jester Wars
by GuardianAthens
Summary: (Secret Santa Fic)The Year 245. The year that almost saw the Hearts Kingdom Fall. Ludwig faces loss, death, and a relationship that just may save him and this country he controls now. Ludwig now holds the kingdom in his protection, and struggles to keep it together, but Feliciano….Feliciano helps in every way possible.


**_And once again, another oneshot! I participated in a event on Tumblr/Livejournal, A GerIta Secret Santa! This is my gift to my recipient, who is on Tumblr (haha you can't find her). A Cardverse!AU with my headcanons involved. Those who read 'A Change of Fate Cards' before it was removed should know a little about this._**

**_Either way, enjoy this Secret Santa Gift!_**

* * *

**_Year 245, Early Month (Translation: January), Day 13_**

_It seems as if phantoms had begun this war. I neither recall nor remember any reports of rogue Hear citizens anywhere in this land, and yet the reports say that several Clubs were murdered by reported Heart capitalists. All victims were connected to the Club's monarchy; all were family, friends, or connections to the multiple men and women helping the King and Queen run the country. It does not make any sense at all._

_I fear that other outside forces are at work here, putting Hearts in a dimmed, dark light for a purpose. I can only hope that this spree does not continue to the point of war._

_The King of Heart fears what his subjects do. War is the last thing on our minds, and now it weighs like a debt on our shoulders. I will prepare anyway for the time it may come, working under my grandfather to forge my armor and weapons._

_Let us hope that we must not go to war._

**_Year 245, Green Month (Translation: March), Day 4_**

_Reports of Club forces falling into the North Eastern borders of Hearts has settled painfully in my gut. They could come to my home at any time if the reports are true. I could lose everything if it is speaking what is true. I rush to finish this entry to get away before I find my fate among the bodies soon to fall._

_My grandfather has left already, preparing for my arrival. I hope he has made it to Heartstrings (capital of Hearts) without trouble._

**_Year 245, Emerald Month (Translation: April), Day 15_**

_My brothers have disappeared and have been announced KIA on the war grounds. My grandfather was killed in an attempt to save his battalion from a surprise choke point made by the Clubs. I have no one left. All of them gone in one fallow sweep of war._

_Now an orphan and left without hope, what am I to do? I have an income source, but will it be enough to keep me through the mourning of the deaths of my family? It hurt enough when I got news of my father and mother's murders, but this?_

_I may never touch this thing again, for it holds the memories I want to burn in flames_

**_Year 245, Sun Month (Translation: June), Day 10_**

_Standing King Ludwig Beilschmidt. Never a day passes that I still marvel at such titles. Standing Kind of the Country of Hearts. Commander-in-chief of the Knights of Chamber Teams, the Standing Army, and Color Team Black._

_The King is dead, long live the king. The news of his death in battle against a new Standing King swept the nation faster than the original murders did. I hope that I can lead this country with the same guidance and power like the kings before me. If I cannot, then I have failed my station and bring dishonor on our newly beginning reign in this world. The monarchy is in complete chaos as of the late King's death and my temporary employment as figurehead and commander._

_The Jack is out in the field, coordinating the armies in my stead, risking everything including his own sons in an attempt to broker a truce with Clubs. The Queen, who was devoted to her king, is in mourning, neglecting her duties as councilor to the higher lords and duchesses, leaving our high class at risk of collapse and our economy to trip itself on the confusion._

_I fear of the collapse soon to being. I must act quickly and with precision if I am to keep Hearts on its feet in this misguided warzone._

* * *

Ludwig set down his quill with a heavy sigh, staring at the ink writings in the old yellowed pages of his now unused journal. It must have been…two or three months since his hands caressed the leather bound history book. His once soft hands were now rough with callouses, a weathered shell of what once was. He guided his head into his palms and leaned on the desk, trying to uncross his thoughts.

So much has happened since his last entry in the journal, more than he could recount in one short conversation. The kingdom began to fall, even with his best efforts. The Queen he now had to care for had been captured by her grief from her husband's death, and committed suicide when he had gone to try to broker a meeting with Club Kingdom royals. The news of the fall of the Monarchy caused a social and economic rift. The social caste system fell to pieces as the economy plunged to the depths. The lower rungs of society fell into the deepest poverty the realms had ever seen, much of the lowest class dying and contracting uncurable illnesses due to falling standards as refugees of the eastern borders fled into the central lands of the kingdom. The middle class began to rebel against the rude high class, demanding that the selfish bigots give some of their hoarded dragon wealth to them so they can continue to live on and help the lower class. The social classes slowly unraveled.

The economy went down so fast; Ludwig barely had time to catch it before it smashed wide open into shards. The value of their coins dropped to nothingness, the amount of money it costs to run the army and the facilities of the country ran high, they spent in the reddest deficit and the Clubs were demanding prices on their losses that they did not do!

Before long Ludwig's heated forehead landed on the desk, nearly tipping over the ink well and splashing himself in black ink. He really did not care if it stained him, but a voice in his head reminded him that a King should not stain in regal clothing in such dark ink. Maroon and red did not look good coated in sticky black ink.

In addition to the problems, Ludwig found himself Marked as the next King, and officially named the King of Hearts Kingdom. It was a relief for the kingdom in part, as the Queen and Jack emerged from the ashes of the kingdom to help rule this crumbling monarchy.

The door creaked open behind him, and before Ludwig could turn around to greet the person, warm comforting arms wrapped around his neck, sending chills down his back. The smell of the ocean and basil wafted up to his nose, making him smile softly.

"Hello Feliciano" Ludwig greeted, looking up into the amber eyes of the Jack of Hearts. The young monarch smiled softly in return.

"You're stressing. I came to help"

A brief kiss silenced the talk hinted at by Feliciano's curing words. Of course, Feli knew that he was stressing; their bond shone through in such times.

A bond, an unheard of tie of two persons who are destined soulmates, tied them in this risky yet necessary relationship. Ludwig loved Feliciano to no end, ever since seeing him when he found refuge in Heart's capital, Heartstrings. With the bond sealing them to each other, Feliciano could come at any moment to help Ludwig through the rough times. Every thought could pass between them in seconds, every feelings vibrating through the string of fate tied to them.

"What would I do without you Feli?" Ludwig asked as he broke from Feli's warm arms and stood up, taking his turn to tuck Feli into his chest. The Jack snuggled deeply into the chest of his lover, sighing into the soft fabric.

"Let the darkness of this war consume you, and I refuse to let such happen"

Ludwig softly laughed into Feliciano's hair, running his fingers through the soft tresses, whispering prayers and hopes. It was all he could do in this uncertain time for their kingdom. Their love would be frowned upon, even with the bond. Ludwig really did not care if everyone hated him. He had his rock, his sanity in this insane time of war and loss. Feliciano reached up to capture his lips again, and Ludwig obliged, happy to let his bondmate's lips keep his worried thoughts at bay, at least for a moment.

**_Year 245, Fall Month (Translation: September), Day 11_**

_I cannot find him. He has disappeared into the blood and bodies of this wasteland battlefield. I knew I could trust the Clubs at last, pointed toward our mutual enemy. However, at what cost was this alliance made? My soulmate? He is gone and I cannot find him through our ties. He cannot be dead, he cannot._

_Not dead, not dead, not dead, not dead, not dead, not dead, not dead, not ddead, nnot deead…._

_HE CAN NOT LEAVE ME NOW!_

* * *

He threw his journal aside. His chest just felt like it had been torn open a million times over. His head pounded so much that he groaned in terrible pain. Just then, he knew. Just then, his bond exploded to life again showing macabre flashes of dead bodies looted by their enemy, birds eating away a rooted corpses and Clubs searching half-heartedly. He could feel the bond tug and drag him to the location of his soulmate.

"Sir, where are you going? KING LUDWIG, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

He ignored the calls of return from his army and ran into the slowly muting battlefield, fueled by his soulmate's distress and his desperate need to find him. He vaulted over fallen cannons, dodging the few stray bullets tracking him. He fell hard onto a body, identifying it as the drummer found in the back and felt crippling sorrow. The war…

He had to keep moving, even with the sorrow that clawed him. He continued to run, slipping in puddles of mud and blood, ending up looking grotesque. His stamina and strength were falling quickly. His heart beat in odd snaps, sending warning signals to his head. He had to keep moving, he had to keep searching for him. So against his body's will, he kept moving forward, flipping bodies to check for identity, and made little progress before he collapsed again. The rain started as he kneeled over, suddenly releasing what little was in his stomach. He felt ill, entirely sickened, his stomach not right. The bond shuddered, sending him to his right. He stumbled upright, wiping away the bile still dribbling out the corner of his mouth. He moved slowly, his steps swaying.

He fell on shaking legs and unmoving feet once more, soaked to the bone in rain and splashed in blood and mud. No one body he checked was Feliciano, and he couldn't feel the bond connect them again. It was as if his soulmate had disappeared into the Earth. He was nowhere, yet he was everywhere. It was chaos in his heart and mind.

"LUDWIG! LUDWIG HELP ME"

The shriek pitched his bond to the left, pointing him toward the trapped body of his soulmate. The wounded Jack lay wriggling underneath his dead horse, slowing crushing the Jack with each movement. Ludwig immediately shushed Feliciano and instructed him to stop moving. He dug into the body of a horse that now lay on Feliciano, slowly crushing him each breath he took. He could not pull the heavy beast off him, and Feliciano's breathing grew harder and heavier every second the house lay on his small, unprotected body. Ludwig struggled, trying to move the heavy dead body so Feli could be free of the binds, but lost his strength as the beast moved enough to keep the pressure off the Italian's lungs and internal organs, but now it lay on his legs, trapping him no better than before.

"Ludwig, don't! Stop, you're killing yourself! Please stop!"

Ludwig refused to listen as he steeled himself once again; taking hold of the dead skin on the horse and channeling every speck of strength he had hidden and rolled the horse slowly off Feliciano. As he did so, Feliciano shrieked as his legs were crushed under the rolling weight of the dead beast. His legs about gave way as the horse fell to its final resting place beside him, a meal for the bugs and birds to come soon. As soon as Ludwig freed his soulmate, he fell limp on the ground, sapped of all ability to move. His arms ached with a burning pinch, his fingers now coated in oil and blood. He could not feel his back. His lungs stung. His heart skipped beats, and not in a good way. He was done for, and he knew it.

"YOU ARE NOT DONE FOR!" Feliciano shouted both aloud and into the bond, keeping Ludwig awake just long enough to see Feli drag him until he was face up, looking in Feliciano's eyes as he cried, "You will not die here. I refuse to let you!"

Ludwig blinked once, twice before he realized that he could see white on the edges of his vision. It made him sleepy.

"Don't go to sleep Luddy!" Feliciano shrieked, sensing the fading life in Ludwig, "Please don't leave me, you just fought to keep me here! Don't let me go. Don't let me go"

Ludwig's eyes fluttered shut, and he could only hear Feliciano's voice as he fell into the abyss.

"Please don't leave me alone"

* * *

**_Feliciano Journal Entry_**

**_Year 245, Winter Month (Translation: December), Day 3_**

_Ludwig has not returned. He is there though I know it._

_I refuse to let the others infect me with words like 'death', 'passing', and 'funeral'. He is not dead._

_I know because I have not joined him._

* * *

Feliciano sat unmoving on the medical bed of his King's, looking down at their intertwined hands for the hundredth time in that hour hoping for a response. Nurses and doctors alike understood the pain Feliciano was in and let him stay as long as he wanted, disregarding set rules.

Feli did not care for them, or even their country, although something tiny inside him was glad the kingdom was okay.

The war ended, at last, and as Ludwig was unfit for duty with his wounds, Kiku was placed in power until Ludwig could return to duty as King.

However, Hearts Kingdom did not matter now. Only Ludwig mattered, and if he does not wake up soon, Feliciano would be joining him in the abyss he sank into if he must. Soul mates live and die together. If Ludwig is dead, so shall he. Feliciano knew though something was there. Their bond had not snapped, and still wavered there, weak and thin, but it's there. He couldn't tap into it and see how Ludwig was, but he knew in his heart that he was alive. He gave a soft sigh and leaned in to Ludwig's face to press a soft kiss on the King's forehead.

Fingers tightened around Feliciano's hand. A twitch in Ludwig's fingers as they quickly curled around Feliciano's hand.

The fingers around his hand closed around Feliciano's hand, and Ludwig's striking blue eyes locked once again with Feliciano's amber jewels just as Feliciano looked down at him. A smile played on Ludwig's lips.

"You don't have to leave" Ludwig said, reading the bond that had suddenly expanded and opened for them. Feliciano cried out his name and hugged onto Ludwig, crying in happiness to see Ludwig awake and okay.

It was a moment of peace, of memory. Never before had they faced such heartbreak and here they finally let honor, rules, and pride burn and let their love broadcast across the regions without a stop. Kisses shared, confession passed, and rules changed. Ludwig and Feliciano finally had each other again, and the war soon faded into the background like a sour memory.

The Kingdom rejoiced in the news of Ludwig's revival, and of his relationship and bond with the Jack Feliciano. Kiku, the Queen, approved more then all of them, offering to step down as Queen and take Feliciano's post. However, Feliciano refused respectfully, quoting that 'He would probably mess something big up and be unable to fix it' and moved on with Ludwig as the Heart's Jack.

* * *

**_Year 246, Early Month, Day 14_**

_A month since the end of the Jester Wars and all is getting better. It is relaxing to know that war should not come again. With peace finally here and the kingdom back on its feet, I can focus on more….important matters. More specifically, Feliciano. It has been too long since we both had enough free time to indulge in one another's company. With the end of the war, I knew it would put an impact on this relationship._

_It sours me though that he is actively blocking me from reading him through the bond. Something must be-_

'Ludwig, can you spare some time?'

The heartache disappeared and his heart throbbed at the smooth voice bouncing in his ears. Of course, Feliciano would choose now to open the bond up to him again. Something different echoed through the bond, an emotion Ludwig could not pinpoint. It felt like desperation, yet closer to impatience. Even as Ludwig answered and made his way to Feliciano, he still could not solve the mystery of the emotion filtering to him from Feliciano. It took a weird turn again, the emotions feeding into Ludwig, taking a dark-edged feel. Nervousness mixed with fear, and anger mixed with desperation. Desperation; why did it seem to be a reoccurring theme with the emotions coming from Feliciano?

The emotions increased double fold as he knocked and entered the Jack's private chambers. The room was littered in abandoned paint tubes and unfinished canvas work. Paintbrushes dripped fresh paint on the ruby red carpet, staining it purple, blue and brown. Feliciano's coat, stained in black ink, lay on the ground near an unfinished painting of what looked like a battlefield, dead bodies bleeding in trailing lines of blood until they fell off the canvas. A grotesque work, Ludwig thought, a haunting outlook of a warzone. He looked out to the balcony doors to find them flung open, and the stagnant body of his bondmate at the farthest spot from the doors. Something suddenly struck through Feliciano. A powerful mixture of emotions bolted into the bond that Ludwig feared himself.

"Ludwig….." Feliciano's voice sounded strained, choked with fear, "Something's wrong"

Ludwig nearly ran up to Feliciano as he turned to face his bondmate. Feliciano's eyes were rimmed red from obvious excessive crying, and even then, tears fell from his empty eyes. Feliciano met with Ludwig not a step ahead of his spot, sobbing into the welcomed shoulder. Shudders racked the Jack's body relentlessly.

Ludwig held unto Feliciano like a glass toy; with the softest touch and the greatest care. His right hand went up to cradle Feli's head, and just as his fingertips grazed over his left temples, flashes of the war came angrily at him through the bond. Bloodied films of Hearts and Clubs falling at the mercy of the Jester army as they advanced. Feliciano's horse dying underneath him, flinging him off far enough to have the horse fall on him, pinning him and crushing his body under tons of force. Watching so many red and green clothed men and woman be executed and slaughtered as he lay faking his death to avoid his true death. Soldiers wandering aimlessly as they suffer from sulfur-brought madness and shock. Soldiers not allied to the Suits searching through the bodies and dirt for any survivors of the battle.

"Why didn't you tell me you were suffering from post-traumatic stress?" Ludwig whispered softly in Feliciano's ear. Feliciano's shivers increased double fold.

"You were saddled with enough issues, I didn't want to-"

"When are you ever an issue Feliciano?" Ludwig sharply questioned.

"When have I ever seen you and your emotions and problems an _issue_?"

Feliciano's cries calmed and he gained control of himself again, looking up at Ludwig as the whips of betrayal hit the bond from the King. Confusion, betrayal, and love came from Ludwig, and all of the stress and fear from the war disappeared, at least for this moment. He snuggled into the soft fabric of and warm body of his bondmate and relaxed into a lull of peace.

"I just worried that….why did I worry about this?" Feliciano whispered, "I'm sorry"

"Don't be Feliciano. I'm just glad that you opened up about it. I will help whenever I can. If it means painting out those scenes with you and making a complete ass of myself, I will" Ludwig chuckled.

"You can't make an ass out of yourself, Ludwig" Feliciano smiled and said, pulling Ludwig back inside. As Feliciano pulled a brush out, he looked up to Ludwig as he joined him.

"And how is that possible?"

Feliciano dipped his brush into the cup of pale blue and swiped it across Ludwig's bare cheek, surprising the King into staring bewildered at him.

"Because your true side makes its appearance, and its cute and funny to watch"


End file.
